Aftermarket alternatives to the UMC?

[Cottonwood]

Do you charge at 40amps? It gets hottest right at the seam where the 14-50 adapter connects to the rest of the charger. So hot that I've nearly burned my hand a few times touching it.

Almost always at 40 Amps, and heat has never been a problem. Take yours back to Service Center for a replacement if it gets uncomfortably hot. That is not normal!! If it is getting that hot, throttle your charge current down to 28 Amps to cut the resistive heating and temperature rise in half until you get a replacement that does not get hot.

P = I^2 * R (Joule's First Law - Wikipedia), where P is power in Watts, I is current in Amps, and R is resistance in Ohms.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I really wish there was a similar product made by someone else, something that is small and portable and will connect to a 14-50 or a 5-15, but it doesn't seem like such a product exists.

We currently build our own J1772 cable assemblies, amongst several other products, and will have the product that you are seeking sometime later this year. It will complement our UMC's that are modified to J1772. It will retain the charge port opening feature, lighting in the plug end (our unique feature), and you'll be able to remotely adjust the amperage (not just from you dash).

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This past weekend I bought a 2012 Leaf for my daughter.... A compact UMC that can use multiple adapter plugs - is outdoor rated - and even pops the charging door. When I take it to my cabin, I can plug it into my range or dryer. I only had to have an electrician put an 14-50 outlet in my garage.

You can use your UMC for the LEAF with a J1772 plug installed. There is a service out there that does that if you do web search for "tesla UMC j1772".

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No certifications. I didn't want to risk it based on that alone.

The Tesla UMC has no certifications, either.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Cool Tony, which company will this be sold under?

 

[mitch672]

Cool Tony, which company will this be sold under?

He's probably talking about "quick charge power": UMC conversion to J1772 (JESLA)


P.S. Tony is too modest to mention it's his company: Quick Charge Power - About

 

[Cosmacelf]

Oh cool. Didn't know that company existed. I'll have to put a link to it in my home made adapters document. It has some pretty unique products, including a J1772 extension cord for Model S.

 

[hcsharp]

The Tesla UMC has no certifications, either.

It depends on what you call a certification. It's illegal to give one to somebody in Europe if it hasn't passed CE testing. In the US testing by UL is not required but it must comply with the NEC (electric code). At a minimum it has passed CE testing. Do you call that a certification?

Speaking of which, a J1772 extension cord is out of compliance. That doesn't mean it's dangerous - I'm not giving an opinion in that regard. But it does not comply with the J1772 standard or the NEC.

@Canuck you are correct that Tesla succeeded in some respects. Their UMC is compact, light weight, attractive and the coupler (connects to the car) is a brilliant design. But is it reliable? Absolutely not. Is it cheap? Yes. Are the HPWC and UMC efficient? No. The wires heat up wasting energy at 40A, same with the HPWC at 80A and the vampire load of the HPWC is very wasteful.

 

[qwk]

@Canuck you are correct that Tesla succeeded in some respects. Their UMC is compact, light weight, attractive and the coupler (connects to the car) is a brilliant design. But is it reliable? Absolutely not. Is it cheap? Yes. Are the HPWC and UMC efficient? No. The wires heat up wasting energy at 40A, same with the HPWC at 80A and the vampire load of the HPWC is very wasteful.

This. The UMC design is not adequate for everyday use. The HPWC is better, but still not up to par to Clipper Creek units. I suspect that Tesla didn't go with Clipper Creek for the Model S because of the cost, but in the end you get what you pay for.

 

[Canuck]

@Canuck you are correct that Tesla succeeded in some respects. Their UMC is compact, light weight, attractive and the coupler (connects to the car) is a brilliant design. But is it reliable? Absolutely not. Is it cheap? Yes. Are the HPWC and UMC efficient? No. The wires heat up wasting energy at 40A, same with the HPWC at 80A and the vampire load of the HPWC is very wasteful.

Thanks for that information. This is all new to me. I ordered the Clipper Creek HCS-60 for my daughter's Leaf. I'm really glad someone here posted about it since I was just about to order a cheaper 30 amp version (great timing). The 60 has the ability to charge at 48 amps so not as good as the HPWC but better than the UMC. I'm glad I will have that backup if (or maybe when) my UMC fails. I also have a new in the box HPWC which I intend to install at my cabin once I build a garage. It won't be in use a lot so are you saying that I should switch the breaker off when not in use to avoid vampire drain or is it only when charging?

By the way Clipper Creek has great customer service. I ordered Sunday, they called us Monday morning and had it shipped the same day (it will arrive Wed) for $12.65 shipping. We are in Canada but ship to the States (the reason for the call) and they dealt with us great -- not like some other companies we have ordered from.

 

[rtz]

Here's a list(specs/prices) of most commercial chargers: My Electric Car Forums | Electric Vehicle Chargers

If you want the big charger though: http://www.manzanitamicro.com/products?page=shop.browse&category_id=41

If you've got a little green or some know how; that Manzanita Micro company can build anything...

Call them tomorrow and speak to the man!

 

[TonyWilliams]

It depends on what you call a certification. It's illegal to give one to somebody in Europe if it hasn't passed CE testing. In the US testing by UL is not required but it must comply with the NEC (electric code). At a minimum it has passed CE testing. Do you call that a certification?

Yes, it's certification for Europe. There is no certification on a Tesla UMC that applies in the US. That is a fact.

Speaking of which, a J1772 extension cord is out of compliance. That doesn't mean it's dangerous - I'm not giving an opinion in that regard. But it does not comply with the J1772 standard or the NEC.

Of course, it's not dangerous at all. Our J1772 "JLong" and Tesla "JMS" extension cords were not presented, nor will they be, to any testing body for approval. They pass the relevant safety signals, work as safely as any EVSE product, and there's nothing "illegal" about them.

@Canuck you are correct that Tesla succeeded in some respects. Their UMC is compact, light weight, attractive and the coupler (connects to the car) is a brilliant design. But is it reliable? Absolutely not. Is it cheap? Yes. Are the HPWC and UMC efficient? No. The wires heat up wasting energy at 40A, same with the HPWC at 80A and the vampire load of the HPWC is very wasteful.

Yes, like any product, there is a compromise. In the case of the UMC, lower price, lightweight and "high performance" were first. The trade off, like in any product, is lower durability and efficiency.

 

[FlasherZ]

Of course, it's not dangerous at all. Our J1772 "JLong" and Tesla "JMS" extension cords were not presented, nor will they be, to any testing body for approval. They pass the relevant safety signals, work as safely as any EVSE product, and there's nothing "illegal" about them.

I do believe that they are indeed safe to use. As to whether they're illegal - that's a gray area. NEC article 625 specifically limits the length of the cord between the EVSE and the car. NEC is codified as law in most jurisdictions, and in some of them violations are explicitly treated as citable infractions and/or misdemeanors.

Is it likely that you'd be hauled before a judge for using it? No. Could you? In theory. Would you have a defense? Yes, applying NEC to appliances can be out of scope. What are the other issues? There may be liability and insurance implications if something were to go wrong.

I have full faith that what Tony builds is safe, don't be afraid to use it for safety reasons if you're comfortable with the risks of breaking the code.

 

[joetz]

Has anyone received the new-style UMC? Does it still get hot? I haven't received mine yet